Death toll from Xinjiang mudslide rises to 16

Rescuers search for survivors after a mudslide at a mine in Xinyuan County, Kazak autonomous prefecture of Ili, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, July 31, 2012. [Photo/Asianewsphoto]

XINYUAN - The death toll from a mudslide that buried an iron ore mine in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region Tuesday morning has climbed to 16, local authorities said Wednesday.

As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, the bodies of 16 victims had been recovered at the mine located in Xinyuan County, Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of Ili, while 12 others remained missing, said a spokesman with the emergency management office of the regional government.

The 16 deceased included 10 men, three women and a child. The gender of the other two could not be immediately identified, according to the spokesman.

The chance of survival for the missing people was slim, but the rescue efforts would continue, he said.

The prefecture's fire brigade received an emergency call around 1 a.m., reporting that the mudslide buried 28 people living in a work shed in the mine, which is over 60 km away from the county seat of Xinyuan.

The 28 people were identified as 22 mine workers and six local residents that collect iron ores.